Database Security: Access, Encryption and Backup Protection
A review of the database behind your applications — who can connect to it, how credentials are handled, and whether sensitive fields are protected from staff who have no reason to see them. GullySystem reviews and hardens it in place.
What Database Security Covers
The database itself is reviewed separately from the applications that sit in front of it, because a screen can correctly hide a field while the database underneath remains reachable directly by anyone who has, or finds, a connection string.
Where Databases Quietly Become the Weak Point
- The database is reachable directly from the internet, with no restriction on which addresses can connect
- One shared login is used by the whole team to query production data directly from their laptops
- Backups sit in the same place as the live data, unencrypted, alongside it
- Identity numbers and contact details are stored in plain text, visible to any staff member who can run a report
What Gets Reviewed in the Database
Connection and Network Restrictions
Who and what can connect to the database, and from where.
Credential Handling
How database logins are stored, shared and rotated across your team and applications.
Encryption at Rest and in Transit
Whether data is protected both while stored and while moving between the database and your applications.
Backup Protection and Field Masking
Whether backups are secured separately from live data, and whether sensitive fields can be masked for staff who only need to read reports.
Who This Matters Most For
- Businesses holding financial records, health information or identity documents in a database
- Companies that have added reporting tools or new staff access without revisiting who can query production data
- Anyone preparing for a compliance or certification effort that will ask how data at rest is protected
Frequently asked questions
Does it matter which database engine we use?
No. The review applies the same underlying questions — connection restrictions, credential handling, encryption, backup protection — regardless of which database engine your application is built on.
What drives the cost of a database security review?
The number of distinct databases in scope, their size and complexity, and how many applications or teams connect to each one. A single database serving one application costs less to review than several databases shared across multiple systems.
What determines the timeline for a database review?
How quickly read access to the schema and configuration is granted, and how many databases and connecting applications need to be mapped. Reviews rarely need the underlying data itself, which keeps access requirements light.
Do you need access to our actual data?
Rarely. Most of the review works from schema, configuration and connection settings rather than the records themselves. Where a specific check needs sample data, masked or synthetic data is used wherever possible.
Who owns the database and any changes made?
You do. Configuration changes are made in your own environment using access you grant, and any credentials issued for the review are yours to revoke once it is complete.
What access to the database environment do you need?
Read access to the database schema and configuration, a list of applications and teams that connect to it, and a named contact who can approve changes once hardening recommendations are ready to apply.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private